The Cycle
by HannahWing
Summary: Prequel to The System. Follows the broken life of Ella leading up to her pregnancy with Christian and the first four years of his life with her.
1. Prologue

_We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty. - Mother Teresa_

_Detroit, Michigan, 1981_

Ella flew backwards, her body crashing into the television. Tuck towered over her.

"Where the hell were you, you little bitch?"

She licked at the split in her lip. She knew this was going to happen if she stayed out, but it probably would have happened anyways.

"You're not my daddy. I don't have to tell you shit." She spat back at him.

"You ungrateful little whore." His face fumed red. His muscles bulged under his shirt. "I took care of you and your mother year in year out. I'm the closest thing to a daddy you'll ever have."

He jerked her up by her shirt. She felt so small in front of him. Tuck hadn't taken care of anyone. Not before he got laid off from the assembly line at the River Rouge plant and especially not now that he was a worthless, broke drunk.

She spat in his face. He let go of her, sending her flying across the room again.

"Get the fuck out of my house you worthless little shit."

Ella picked her body up off the floor. She didn't feel any of the bruises on her skin. All she felt was burning, seething anger. She threw herself at him, her nails dug into the skin of his face, her legs pounding at the softness of his stomach.

Tuck's giant hand closed around her throat. The edges of her vision blurred as she fought for breath, scratching and clawing at his wrist. The room was fading around her. He carried her by the throat to the front of the house. The front door opened with a loud creek just before he threw her down the front steps.

Ella gasped for breath in the dirt. She wanted to attack him, hurt him, overpower him. She launched herself at the door where he stood. She got up two of the cement steps before the storm door slammed in her face. Tuck growled through the screen, "And don't fucking come back."

* * *

_AN: This story is going to pretty dark. Possibly more so than The System, but it's a story that I really wanted to tell no matter how ugly it is. I plan on updating this story less often than my other stories, because to be honest, I don't expect it to be all that popular. I'll probably do a chapter every month or so unless I get a lot of people begging me to write faster, because I can't say no._


	2. Reckless Youth

_I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road. - Stephen Hawking_

Hot tears burned her eyes. She scrunched them shut and covered her face with her hands, trying to stop the tears from coming. It was stupid to cry. It's not like this was a surprise.

It was a few weeks until her eighteenth birthday. She knew she'd be on her own as soon as she was legally an adult, but she at least expected to leave on her own two feet. Not literally tossed out. Maybe she just hated that Tuck had the satisfaction of having all the power.

A small sob caught in her throat. She bit her lip, tasting the salt of her tears.

Maybe it just hurt more than she'd expected it to.

She could sit on the steps and wait for mama to come home from her shift. Even though she always sided with Tuck, even though they were always at each others throats, even though she really wanted to see Ella gone as much as Tuck did, Ella knew she would let her back in. She would never let Tuck throw her baby out of the house.

But she would let him hit her, beat her, throw her down the stairs. If he wasn't beating on her, Tuck was beating on mama.

Ella stood up, goosebumps prickling on her skin. There were only a few windows on the street with lights on inside. In any one of those houses, someone might be playing out the same scene, beating the shit out of someone. Or letting someone else beat the shit out of them and their kids. Ella didn't believe in happy families. They were just something made up for T.V. Something to keep stupid people day dreaming.

She could sit on the steps and wait for mama to let her back in the house, but she wasn't going to. If mama wanted to be Tuck's punching bag, that was her business. Ella was finished with it.

()()()()()()()()

An exhilarating freedom shocked through Ella like electricity. She moved her body to the music, a hundred other bodies bumping into hers. Her head was foggy enough that she couldn't tell one from another. She didn't even care. She was open to anyone, anything.

"Can I buy you a drink?" Two men stood next to her.

No, that was her eyes playing tricks on her. It was one man. One sexy man.

She was too drunk to play coy. She shouted loudly over the music, "of course."

()()()()()()()()

A stabbing pin prick throbbed in the back of Ella's head. She didn't know where she was. She looked around at the unfamiliar things in the room. It was still so exciting; waking up in a strangers bed.

The man next to her rolled over, propping himself up on his arm. "Good Morning." He smiled at her. His smile was loose and easy with something wild in it. Ella's lips spread into a shier version of his grin.

Every time she'd gone home with a guy, there'd been an awkward, unspoken shame the next morning. But she didn't feel it at all here. This guy acted like everything they'd done was totally natural.

"I don't think I got your name last night." His voice rumbled from his chest. His raw masculinity made her feel so soft and delicate lying next to him.

"Ella" She said.

He tucked a piece of her chestnut hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger on her head. "hmm, pretty."

She felt tingles where his fingers touched her. His eyes were a deep brown. The kind of eyes that make you feel warm under them.

His other hand wrapped around her waist, bringing her into his naked body. She didn't remember much from the night before. She didn't remember what an amazing kisser he was.

The wildness in his smile carried over into his kiss, spreading through her entire body until she was breathless.

He pulled away, just enough to whisper against her lips, "Can I call you some time?"

The fire in Ella was stomped out immediately. "I uh, I don't really have a phone." She stammered awkwardly.

"Oh," He frowned, overcame his surprise and continued, "Well, then can I drop by sometime?"

Ella looked away from his eyes. She wanted to say yes.

"I don't think that will be possible."

He moved his hands up the curve of her body, kissing the softness of her neck. "And why won't that be possible?"

Ella melted into his touch. "because…" a gasping moan, "... I don't really have a place for you to drop by."

He pulled away to look at her. His eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," She looked around the room, begging for a way to escape this conversation, "I mean I don't have a place."

His neck jerked back, "like you're homeless?"

"No. Not like homeless." She hated to think of the word. Homeless people were war vets huddled on the street begging for nickels. She was just… bed hopping and couch surfing.

"Well if you don't have anywhere else to be, why don't you stick around here for a while?"

"What?" Ella shook her head.

"Crash here. If you don't have somewhere better to stay. My roommates don't care."

She didn't want to show it, but Ella felt relief ease through her. She wasn't going to have to worry about a place to stay that night. If she was lucky, she wouldn't have to worry about dinner either.

"Thanks."

He kissed her again. Tasting her mouth, letting her taste his. He enveloped her with his body. It was so warm. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so warm and comfortable.


End file.
